[net.sf-lovers] Boring races

bnw@crash.ARPA (09/26/85)

From: <crash!bnw@nosc.ARPA>

judith@proper.UUCP (judith) writes:
>Anybody seen an interesting story about a boring race (i.e. us) ?
>Margaret St. Clair wrote a story in the '50s or so about a boring
>race.  It, and they, were called "Prott."  They did nothing but
>bore humans.
 
     I'll have to appeal to the net for the title and author of this one.
I read a book some years ago about invaders who conquer Earth and then
discover, to their considerable dismay, that they have conquered a race
that is more intelligent.
     One specific instance in the book:
 
     Some human prisoners are being taken to a POW camp by alien guards
holding an alien rifle in one hand and a knife in the other.  A prisoner
is explaining how to make a bayonet as they walk.
 
     One of the major aliens is (as best I recall) General Horsip.
 
     The book is very funny, well done, and ends in a rather unexpected
manner.
                                                         /Bruce N. Wheelock/
                           uucp: {ihnp4, cbosgd, sdcsvax, noscvax}!crash!bnw

tihor@acf4.UUCP (Stephen Tihor) (09/29/85)

Pandora's Planet by Christopher Anvil or the Analog short story of the same name.

gvg@hp-pcd.UUCP (gvg) (09/29/85)

/***** hp-pcd:net.sf-lovers / topaz!bnw /  1:01 am  Sep 26, 1985*/
From: <crash!bnw@nosc.ARPA>

judith@proper.UUCP (judith) writes:
>Anybody seen an interesting story about a boring race (i.e. us) ?
>Margaret St. Clair wrote a story in the '50s or so about a boring
>race.  It, and they, were called "Prott."  They did nothing but
>bore humans.
 
     I'll have to appeal to the net for the title and author of this one.
I read a book some years ago about invaders who conquer Earth and then
discover, to their considerable dismay, that they have conquered a race
that is more intelligent.
     One specific instance in the book:
 
     Some human prisoners are being taken to a POW camp by alien guards
holding an alien rifle in one hand and a knife in the other.  A prisoner
is explaining how to make a bayonet as they walk.
 
     One of the major aliens is (as best I recall) General Horsip.
 
     The book is very funny, well done, and ends in a rather unexpected
manner.
                                                         /Bruce N. Wheelock/
                           uucp: {ihnp4, cbosgd, sdcsvax, noscvax}!crash!bnw
/* ---------- */

gvg@hp-pcd.UUCP (gvg) (09/29/85)

 
>     I'll have to appeal to the net for the title and author of this one.
>I read a book some years ago about invaders who conquer Earth and then
>discover, to their considerable dismay, that they have conquered a race
>that is more intelligent.
 
>     One of the major aliens is (as best I recall) General Horsip.
 
                                                         /Bruce N. Wheelock/
/* ---------- */


from: GVG / hplabs!hp-pcd!gvg

PANDORA'S PLANET by Christopher Anvil.  Based on a short novel that was
printed in ANALOG in about 1959 or 1960.  There was actually a whole series
of stories about this race of orderly (but rather unimaginative) aliens 
and (what ends up being) their military collaboration with us.


                        GV "Just Passin' Thru" Goebel

chris@ICO.UUCP (09/29/85)

The book is by Christopher Anvil (got a catchy name there eh?),
and is part of a series. The stories were mostly published as
short stories in Analog in the fifties and sixties. The collected
story of the invasion was published as Pandoras Planet.

General Horship's Headquarters Guard is the only unit in the
Centran military awarded the Platinum Nova as a unit for bravery
beyond the call of sanity.

Christopher Anvil's stuff is a little on the lightweight side,
but intensely enjoyable if you're in the right mood. If you like
your space opera with a touch of humor, this is good stuff.


		chris
		Chris Kostanick
		decvax!vortex!ism780!ico!chris
		ucbvax!ucla-cs!ism780!ico!chris

djl@ptsfb.UUCP (Dave Lampe) (10/01/85)

In article <3792@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> bnw@crash.UUCP writes:
>     I'll have to appeal to the net for the title and author of this one.
>I read a book some years ago about invaders who conquer Earth and then
>discover, to their considerable dismay, that they have conquered a race
>that is more intelligent.
>     One specific instance in the book:
> 
>     Some human prisoners are being taken to a POW camp by alien guards
>holding an alien rifle in one hand and a knife in the other.  A prisoner
>is explaining how to make a bayonet as they walk.
> 
>     One of the major aliens is (as best I recall) General Horsip.
> 
>     The book is very funny, well done, and ends in a rather unexpected
>manner.
>                                                         /Bruce N. Wheelock/
>                           uucp: {ihnp4, cbosgd, sdcsvax, noscvax}!crash!bnw

The name of the book in question is Pandora's Planet by (I believe)
Christopher Anvil. This book and the other two that I know of by him,
Warlord's World and (something) Paradise are well worth reading if
you like stories of ordinary people put in extraodinary situations
and how they rise to meet them.

Dave Lampe @ Pacific Bell
{ucbvax,amd,zehntel,ihnp4,cbosgd}!dual!ptsfa!ptsfb!djl
(415) 823-2408